Iran Christian woman Fatemeh Mohammadi assaulted for how she wore her headscarf

A 19-year-old Christian woman was arrested yesterday after going to a police station to file a complaint. Fatemeh Mohammadi was assaulted by a woman dressed in a chador, a long black robe worn by conservative Muslim women, who did not approve of the way Fatemeh was wearing her headscarf while on a public bus.

Last spring, Fatemeh had completed a six-month prison sentence for membership in Tehran house church. She is a rare public Christian activist inside Iran, and has raised a number of issues to the forefront of conversation. She has publically accused her interrogators of sexual harassment and published material questioning the government’s treatment of Christians. She has particularly raised awareness about how the government’s persecution of Christians is in violation of Article 23 of the Constitution, which says that “no one may be molested or taken to task for simply holding a certain belief.”

Iran is an Islamic country which does not recognize the status of Christians unless they can prove their family was Christian prior to the 1979 Revolution. Most Christians fled the country during this time. However, Muslims have converted to Christianity in large numbers since then. Christian women are required to adhere to an Islamic dresscode even though it is not their belief. Iran ranks as a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.